ML062300240
| ML062300240 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Vermont Yankee File:NorthStar Vermont Yankee icon.png |
| Issue date: | 08/28/2006 |
| From: | James Shea NRC/NRR/ADRO/DORL/LPLI-1 |
| To: | Kansler M Entergy Nuclear Operations |
| References | |
| TAC MC5488 | |
| Download: ML062300240 (8) | |
Text
August 28, 2006 Mr. Michael Kansler President Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.
440 Hamilton Avenue White Plains, NY 10601
SUBJECT:
VERMONT YANKEE NUCLEAR POWER STATION - WITHDRAWAL OF AN AMENDMENT REQUEST RE: CONTROL ROD OPERABILITY (TAC NO.
Dear Mr. Kansler:
By letter dated December 15, 2004, as supplemented on December 12, 2005, and July 6, 2006, Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. submitted a proposed license amendment to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station (VY). The proposed changes would have revised the VY Technical Specifications (TSs) related to control rod operability, scram time and control rod accumulator technical specification surveillance testing requirements. In a telephone conference call on July 20, 2006, we informed members of your staff that we would not be able to approve the requested amendment as justified by your application and its supplements. As a result of these discussions, you withdrew your amendment request by [[letter::BVY 06-074, Withdrawal of Proposed Change No. 266, Revision to Control Rod Operability Scram Time Testing and Control Rod Accumulators|letter dated August 10, 2006]]. The purpose of this letter is to inform you of some of the issues we encountered with your original amendment request in the event that you decide to resubmit this application at a later date.
Your proposed change would have revised the surveillance requirements (SRs) for verifying control rod coupling integrity as described in TS 4.3.B.1, revised the scram insertion time limiting conditions for operation (LCOs) and SRs as described in TS 3.3.C and 4.3.C, and enhanced TS 3.3.D and 4.3.D, the LCO and SR for control rod accumulators.
The NRC staff concluded that in response to our requests for additional information (RAI), you did not adequately answer the concerns related to the proposed scram times with slow rods and how they are conservative in relation to the analytical scram reactivity curve. Also, the most recent RAI response dated July 6, 2006, changed the approach for justifying the slow scram times from a VY specific evaluation to a more generic approach that modeled the Standard Technical Specifications scram reactivity curve. This approach may be valid for VY, however, you did not provide sufficient detailed information in your docketed submittals or in your explanation during our conference call to demonstrate to the staff that the revised generic method was conservative and safe for VY.
M. Kansler If you decide to re-submit your application at a later date, you may want to meet with our technical staff to discuss the application to ensure it will meet our expectations.
The Commission has filed the enclosed Notice of Withdrawal of Application for Amendment to Facility Operating License with the Office of the Federal Register for publication.
If you have any questions, please contact me at (301) 415-1388.
Sincerely,
/RA/
James Shea, Project Manager Project Directorate I-1 Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-271
Enclosure:
Notice of Withdrawal cc w/encl: See next page
M. Kansler If you decide to re-submit your application at a later date, you may want to meet with our technical staff to discuss the application to ensure it will meet our expectations.
The Commission has filed the enclosed Notice of Withdrawal of Application for Amendment to Facility Operating License with the Office of the Federal Register for publication.
If you have any questions, please contact me at (301) 415-1388.
Sincerely,
/RA/
James Shea, Project Manager Project Directorate I-1 Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-271
Enclosure:
Notice of Withdrawal cc w/encl: See next page DISTRIBUTION:
PUBLIC RidsNrrDORLLpl1-1 RidsOgcRP LPLI-1 R/F RidsNrrLASLittle RidsAcrsAcnwMailCenter RidsNrrPMJShea RidsNrrDORLDpr RidsRgn1MailCenter NMorgan BSingal VKlein Accession Number: ML062300240 OFFICE LPL1-1/PE LPL1-1/PM LPL1-1/LA LPL1-1/BC NAME NMorgan JShea SLittle RLaufer DATE 8/25/06 8/28/06 8/28/06 8/28/06 Official Record Copy
Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station cc:
Regional Administrator, Region I U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 475 Allendale Road King of Prussia, PA 19406-1415 Mr. David R. Lewis Pillsbury, Winthrop, Shaw, Pittman, LLP 2300 N Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20037-1128 Mr. David OBrien, Commissioner Vermont Department of Public Service 112 State Street Montpelier, VT 05620-2601 Mr. James Volz, Chairman Public Service Board State of Vermont 112 State Street Montpelier, VT 05620-2701 Chairman, Board of Selectmen Town of Vernon P.O. Box 116 Vernon, VT 05354-0116 Operating Experience Coordinator Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station 320 Governor Hunt Road Vernon, VT 05354 G. Dana Bisbee, Esq.
Deputy Attorney General 33 Capitol Street Concord, NH 03301-6937 Chief, Safety Unit Office of the Attorney General One Ashburton Place, 19th Floor Boston, MA 02108 Ms. Carla A. White, RRPT, CHP Radiological Health Vermont Department of Health P.O. Box 70, Drawer #43 108 Cherry Street Burlington, VT 05402-0070 Mr. James M. DeVincentis Manager, Licensing Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station P.O. Box 0500 185 Old Ferry Road Brattleboro, VT 05302-0500 Resident Inspector Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission P.O. Box 176 Vernon, VT 05354 Director, Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency ATTN: James Muckerheide 400 Worcester Rd.
Framingham, MA 01702-5399 Jonathan M. Block, Esq.
Main Street P.O. Box 566 Putney, VT 05346-0566 Mr. John F. McCann Director, Licensing Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.
440 Hamilton Avenue White Plains, NY 10601 Mr. Gary J. Taylor Chief Executive Officer Entergy Operations 1340 Echelon Parkway Jackson, MS 39213
Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station cc:
Mr. John T. Herron Sr. VP and Chief Operating Officer Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.
440 Hamilton Avenue White Plains, NY 10601 Mr. Oscar Limpias Vice President, Engineering Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.
440 Hamilton Avenue White Plains, NY 10601 Mr. Christopher Schwarz Vice President, Operations Support Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.
440 Hamilton Avenue White Plains, NY 10601 Mr. Michael J. Colomb Director of Oversight Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.
440 Hamilton Avenue White Plains, NY 10601 Assistant General Counsel Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.
440 Hamilton Avenue White Plains, NY 10601 Mr. Theodore Sullivan Site Vice President Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.
Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station P.O. Box 0500 185 Old Ferry Road Brattleboro, VT 05302-0500 Mr. James H. Sniezek 5486 Nithsdale Drive Salisbury, MD 21801 Mr. Garrett D. Edwards 814 Waverly Road Kennett Square, PA 19348 Ms. Stacey M. Lousteau Treasury Department Entergy Services, Inc.
639 Loyola Avenue New Orleans, LA 70113 Mr. Norman L. Rademacher Director, NSA Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station P.O. Box 0500 185 Old Ferry Road Brattleboro, VT 05302-0500 Mr. Raymond Shadis New England Coalition Post Office Box 98 Edgecomb, ME 04556 Mr. James P. Matteau Executive Director Windham Regional Commission 139 Main Street, Suite 505 Brattleboro, VT 05301 Mr. William K. Sherman Vermont Department of Public Service 112 State Street Drawer 20 Montpelier, VT 05620-2601 Mr. Michael D. Lyster 5931 Barclay Lane Naples, FL 34110-7306 Ms. Charlene D. Faison Manager, Licensing 440 Hamilton Avenue White Plains, NY 10601
7590-01-P UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION VERMONT YANKEE NUCLEAR POWER STATION DOCKET NO. 50-271 NOTICE OF WITHDRAWAL OF APPLICATION FOR AMENDMENT TO FACILITY OPERATING LICENSE The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Commission) has granted the request of Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. (the licensee) to withdraw its December 15, 2004, application for proposed amendment to Facility Operating License No. DPR-28 for the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station, located in Windham County.
The proposed amendment would have revised the Technical Specifications pertaining to control rod operability, scram time and control rod accumulator technical specification surveillance testing requirements. The Commission had previously issued a Notice of Consideration of Issuance of Amendment published in the FEDERAL REGISTER on January 18, 2005 (70 FR 2889). However, by [[letter::BVY 06-074, Withdrawal of Proposed Change No. 266, Revision to Control Rod Operability Scram Time Testing and Control Rod Accumulators|letter dated August 10, 2006]], the licensee withdrew the proposed change.
For further details with respect to this action, see the application for amendment dated December 15, 2004, as supplemented on December 12, 2005, and July 6, 2006, and the licensee's [[letter::BVY 06-074, Withdrawal of Proposed Change No. 266, Revision to Control Rod Operability Scram Time Testing and Control Rod Accumulators|letter dated August 10, 2006]], which withdrew the application for license amendment.
Documents may be examined, and/or copied for a fee, at the NRCs Public Document Room (PDR), located at One White Flint North, Public File Area O1 F21, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland. Publicly available records will be accessible electronically from the Agencywide Documents Access and Management Systems (ADAMS) Public Electronic Reading Room on the internet at the NRC Web site, http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm.html. Persons who do not have access to ADAMS or who encounter problems in accessing the documents located in ADAMS should contact the NRC PDR Reference staff by telephone at 1-800-397-4209, or 301-415-4737 or by email to pdr@nrc.gov.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 28th day of August 2006.
FOR THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
/RA/
James Shea, Project Manager Plant Licensing Branch I-1 Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation